Rosey Murrah: Sterling Academy Facilitates Budding Actor to Hone Her Craft
By: Leona Kim
July 27, 2018
Rosey (far left) portraying as a Bird Girl in Seussical.
As the entire cast wraps up the show with a curtain call, the audience roars with a standing ovation and the curtains begin to close. This might be the end of another show for Rosey Murrah.
Rosey has thrown herself so deeply into her acting that sometimes the end of one play is just the signal for her to go across town to be part of another play. “As soon as the Harold and Maude run started, I started rehearsals for Seussical, and as soon as the Seussical run started, I had rehearsals for Dog Sees God, which I was in at the same time as Seussical.” Rosey clarifies, “I had three shows in one day and two shows the next day. The first day, I had two shows of Dog Sees God and then one of Seussical. And then the next day, I had one show of Seussical and one show of Dog Sees God.”
Rosey's path to reach the point of having so many acting opportunities started at a summer camp called the Showboat Youth Theatre. “I have been acting since I was 5 years old. My mom was looking for something during the summer to get me used to being in full-day kindergarten the following fall. She found a theater camp that cast me as Gretl in The Sound of Music. I was in 40 productions over the next 8 or 9 years, which included the main roles in Annie, Mary Poppins, and Hairspray.”
Since her acting debut at the age of five, Rosey states, “I have done so many shows, I just couldn’t list them all.” Among the roles she remembers are Mary Poppins from Mary Poppins, Gretl von Trapp from The Sound of Music, Molly from Annie, Velma von Tussle from Hairspray, Mrs. Meers from Thoroughly Modern Millie, Kristin Urich from A Chorus Line, a Bird Girl from Seussical, Nancy Mersh from Harold and Maude, and Tricia York from Dog Sees God.
Because her passion is immensely demanding, Sterling Academy has given the opportunity to balance her academic demands and her dream as an actor effectively. “Thanks to Sterling Academy, I have been able to schedule my school hours around my singing and acting classes, and my shows, so I have more time to do that this year.”
Rosey (second left) with the cast of Dog Sees God.
Acting is not just reciting lines, but it also requires studying the character as a whole. “I enjoy everything that goes into the craft of acting: research, backstory, character's thought process, approach to a role, etc.,” Rosey explains. “My goal is to continue to improve my abilities relating to all of these topics.”
Not only does Rosey want to pursue an acting career, but she also wants to be a singer-songwriter. “I love theater, TV, and movies. Ideally, I would like to be involved in all three. I also sing, play guitar, and write songs and want to continue with that as well.”
Her plans after Sterling Academy are to continue taking acting classes at the Howard Fine Acting Studio, as well as continuing to work with her vocal coach, Scott Harlan, while also going out on auditions to pursue her career.
Rosey has an eclectic taste for musical and theatrical genres, but will never limit her skills to any particular type. “I like musical comedies the best with a good balance of acting, singing, and dancing, especially tap dancing! I enjoy doing drama as well, I just find comedy comes more naturally. But I like to challenge myself. I am up for anything! Acting is a commitment to lifelong learning and I'm committed!”
